The End Of An Era For Vietnam Vets

Photo: The last of the draftees: Army Command Sgt. Major Jeffery Mellinger, 58, reveals he is retiring

Last Vietnam-Era Draftee Decides To Retire -- CBS

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) — He didn't join the Army willingly, but as Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Mellinger prepares to retire, he's grateful he found his calling.

Mellinger was drafted to fight the Vietnam War, and the Army believes he's the last draftee to retire, after 39 years. Most did their two years and left. But Mellinger had found home.

"I think I'm pretty good at it, but I like it. That's the bottom line. I love being a soldier and I love being around soldiers," he said.

When the draft notice arrived in the mail in 1972 at his home in Eugene, Ore., tens of thousands of troops had been killed. Anti-war protests were rampant. Draft notices were being set on fire and returning soldiers were treated as part of the problem. The military wasn't a popular job.

The return address on the letter was the White House. Just 19, he was impressed that President Richard Nixon would write to him.

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Update #1: Last Vietnam-era draftee is retiring from Army -- Yahoo News/AP
Update #2: 'I told them, I don't need to go into the Army, I've got a job': Vietnam's last draftee retires after 39 years -- The Daily Mail

My Comment: In a way this story is not related .... but in another way it is .... for a great read about football, computer geeks, the marines, and the draft .... read it all.